NomoreappaccessforiFunBoxorsimilartoolsiniOS8.3

Tools like iFunBox, iExplorer, and PhoneView used to be very handy for managing app directories on your iOS device. According to a MacRumors report, Apple has changed the security settings in iOS 8.3 so that these file managers and transfer utilities can no longer gain access to the app directories.

Because of this, current versions of transfer utilities for OS X and Windows are broken until the developers release new versions of their software with workarounds to get at least partial sandbox access. The iFunBox app was one of the first utilities to be updated over the weekend with a partial fix. The latest version, 2.95, allows all apps with iTunes File Sharing enabled to be opened for sandbox browsing, but there is still no access to other apps.

On their Facebook page, the developers of iFunBox say that “All apps with ‘iTunes File Sharing’ enabled (e.g. iFileExpress, or VLC player) can be opened for sandbox browsing just like before. For the rest, jailbreak is required to enable the sandbox access.” Of course, there is no current jailbreak for iOS 8.3, so that’s kind of a moot point.

It’s an almost constant cat and mouse game for developers of these kinds of utilities. They find a way to access the sandboxes of app directories, only to have Apple plug the hole. It will be interesting to see how long it takes developers to find unrestricted access to the app directories again.